Summer is right around the corner, and for a lot of excited kiddos, that means one thing: It’s almost time for summer camp! For many children, summer camp means time soaking up the sun, swimming and sports, and the beginning of lifelong friendships. Additionally, while the kiddos are away at camp, parents can rest assured knowing their children are unplugging from their devices, making friends, and being taught valuable life lessons– and it doesn’t hurt that they also get a break from the chaos!
If you’re someone in charge of organizing a trip to summer camp, however, your feelings about the experience might be just a little different. You have to think about a plethora of logistical puzzles– how many leaders should you take with you? Which camp will you choose for your organization? What safety waivers do you need your campers to sign? Most importantly… How will you get everyone there?
While we can’t coordinate your entire trip, we can at least offer a solution to the question of transportation. In this article, we’ll explore using a charter bus as a transportation option for your next summer camp trip!
Benefits of Taking a Charter Bus
Being in charge of coordinating transportation for a large group of people can be a stressful endeavor– however, it doesn’t have to be! Renting a charter bus for your next summer camp comes with many perks that take unnecessary burdens off your shoulders and allow you to enjoy the ride more. Some of those perks include:
Affordability
Transporting a large group of people can become a costly endeavor. One of the great things about traveling by charter bus is how economical it is! A much larger number of students can fit on a charter bus than in a car or van; therefore, when you divide the cost of gas and the driver’s hourly rate, the cost of a charter bus becomes significantly less per student. This makes camp more accessible for kids and allows more students to attend camp- and who doesn’t want to enable a young child to make life-changing memories?
Safety
Your parents are placing a lot of trust in you and your organization to take care of their kids while you’re away with them at camp. If that feels like a huge responsibility… it’s because it is! You will want to do everything within your power to make sure no one is hurt or injured under your care. That’s why traveling by charter bus Did you know that, according to the US Department of Transportation, bus travel is 46 times more safe than travel by car? Put your mind at ease knowing that the likelihood of an accident occurring on the road is statistically extremely low.
Organization
Anyone who has ever worked with kids knows that keeping them all in the same place can be like herding cats. When you travel by charter bus, you prevent any of your students from getting lost or going unaccounted for while you’re on the road because they’re all in the same place! Even if you have to take multiple buses to your destination due to the number of people you have with you, keeping track of 2 or 3 people is much easier than keeping track of over a dozen vans or cars. By choosing a charter bus as your mode of transportation for summer camp, you free up your mental space to focus on more important things during your trip!
Adaptability
When traveling with a large group of students, you have to be ready to roll with the punches and make last-minute adjustments. Renting a charter bus for your travels to and from camp allows you this flexibility! Your bus drivers are professional and prepared for various different situations, such as traffic, road closures, breakdowns, and inclement weather. If you take the time to communicate with your driver about your expectations before your trip, the two of you can work together to make sure that no matter what happens, everyone is prepared!
Amenities
Kids have a tendency to get a bit antsy when on the road for too long. Fortunately, traveling by charter bus helps decrease boredom significantly! Some of the bonuses of traveling by charter include:
Built-in TVs: Some buses come with DVD players built into the bus for entertainment! Put on a movie for kids to watch when they get bored of talking to friends, reading, or whatever other activities they might be up to.
Plenty of legroom: As opposed to riding in the car, charter buses have plenty of legroom. When kids start to feel antsy, bored, or tired, they have enough space to shake out their legs! Additionally, this extra space allows children to ride comfortably- they can even take a nap, if they’d like!
On-board bathroom: One of the biggest hindrances to punctuality on long trips is the constant need for bathroom breaks. Especially with such a large group of students, their need to use the bathroom will be frequent- and of course, everyone will need to go at different times. Having a bathroom built into your bus significantly decreases the number of stops you’ll have to make, allowing you to get to your destination in a timely manner! Additionally, less stops means less stress having to keep track of your students at a crowded rest stop.
Get Ready For Your Trip
Now that you know the benefits of traveling to and from camp by charter bus, you should take other steps to prepare for your trip. When you take the time to prepare for your trip to summer camp, you decrease the amount of possible mishaps or frustrations that could occur. For the easiest and most seamless travel to and from camp, follow these tips to make sure everyone involved is on the same page!
Factor in Extra Time
As we previously mentioned, travel can be unpredictable! No matter how you travel or who you travel with, you should be prepared for unexpected bumps in the road, so to speak. When communicating with your bus driver about pick-up and drop-off times, don’t choose times that will have you barely making it to your destination on time. Instead, make sure to factor in some extra time in the case of unexpected stops or emergencies. This will help ensure your trip goes as smoothly as possible, and it allows everyone involved- you, your driver, your leaders, and your students- to enjoy the ride.
Communicate with Parents
Once you’ve worked out the details of your trip, parents need to know where they need to drop off their kids, what time, and when their kids will arrive back from camp. We recommend having parents drop kids off at your departure location one hour before you are set to leave. This allows you to make sure every student is accounted for, everyone has their luggage, and there are no last-minute complications or hang-ups before you leave for camp.
If you have a way to communicate with parents on your way back from camp, this would be a wonderful time to send any necessary updates. For example, if your bus gets a flat tire, you can let parents know that the return home has been delayed. This level of communication prevents parents from getting confused or upset at situations outside of your control, and it also offers them a level of comfort by knowing exactly what’s happening while their child is in your care.
Give Students a Packing List
Depending on the type of camp you’re going to, how long you’ll be there, and the sorts of activities offered by the camp, your packing list can vary greatly! To make sure your students pack appropriate clothing and necessary items, send a detailed list out to your students of what they should and shouldn’t bring. If you’re not sure yourself what students should and shouldn’t bring to camp, check out this blog post for helpful packing tips!
You should also know if your camp has any prohibited items so that you can tell your students not to bring those. For example, some camps ask that students refrain from bringing cellphones or other electronic devices. If this is the case, your students should know so that they have the option to either leave their phones at home or with a leader! When students have reasonable expectations about what they can and can’t bring to camp, you reduce the risk of arguments and meltdowns.
Summer camp experiences can be formative memories for children. When they grow up and think about their years spent at summer camp, you want them to have happy memories. Camp should be a week of fun and friends for everyone involved– even the trip coordinators! Let’s face it: You can’t ensure that every student has the time of their life at summer camp. However, when you choose a charter bus to take your group to and from summer camp, you choose safety, comfort, convenience, and affordability. They say life is as much about the journey as the destination; give your students a journey to camp they’ll never forget on a charter bus!